Change of Chelsea stadium plans ‘obviously’ linked to Roman Abramovich’s visa
The man who sold Chelsea to the Russian admitted he wasn't surprised by the news
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Former Chelsea chief executive Trevor Birch believes the reported delayed renewal of Roman Abramovich’s visa is linked to the redevelopment of Stamford Bridge being put on hold.
The Premier League club have announced that plans to turn the ground into a new 60,000-seater stadium have been put on ice.
And Birch, responsible for selling Chelsea to Russian Abramovich, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I wasn’t really surprised (by the news) because it’s obviously linked to the visa situation.
“There have been some rising costs in the stadium and it’s a difficult project to deliver – but I think this is clearly Roman upping the ante in the spat with the Home Office.”
Birch, who has also been chief executive at Everton and Leeds and now works for global finance advisors Duff & Phelps, continued: “We’ve moved into a different phase now.
“If the visa issue isn’t resolved I think anything could happen. I think there’s obviously a great deal of concern around at the moment.
“The Chelsea fans now face the prospect of no stadium, no manager and no star player if Eden Hazard moves to Real Madrid.
“But I think it’s eminently sellable as a club, based in west London. With TV rights increasing, if Manchester United is valued at over £3bn I think Chelsea is valued at £1.5bn – and very attractive.”
However, Birch added: “Of course to maintain the value of his (Abramovich) investment he needs to invest in players – and he didn’t last season.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments